NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agencys SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the second crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with two international partners. The flight follows certification by NASA for regular flights to the space station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program.
The launch, on a Falcon 9 rocket, is targeted for 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon is scheduled to dock to the space station about 5:30 a.m. Friday, April. 23. Prelaunch activities, launch, and docking will air live on NASA Television, theNASA app, and the agencys website.
The Crew-2 flight will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur whowill serve as the missions spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronautAkihikoHoshideand ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut ThomasPesquet, whowill serve as mission specialists to the space station for a six-month science mission.
